All the Stars in the Sky
by Icewriter24
Summary: Ivypool's kits must accept the curses and consequences that come along with their father being of the Dark Forest. Every year for the rest of her life, Ivypool will give birth to two beautiful kits- One will be loyal, patient, and a strong warrior, while the other will be bloodthirsty like their Hawkfrost, their father. They both have the freedom to roam between the two worlds.
1. Chapter 1

"Ow!" Hawkkit meowed, wriggling away from her sister's tight grip. "That hurt!" A sharp pain shot through her body and Hawkit grinded her teeth to keep from squealing. She wasn't like all the others in the ThunderClan nursery, who enjoyed play fighting. Her sister Sparkit was bigger and rougher than most cats were at only five moons. She was a pretty tortoiseshell with a white muzzle and a thick coating of black fur. Most of the warriors had taken a liking to her for her good looks and because she was smart enough not to break the rules and go where she shouldn't.

"I wish you wouldn't play so rough,' Hawkit mumbled as she brushed the dirt off her sleek pelt.

"Oh, stop being such a kittypet!" Sparkit waved off her complaints with a casual flick of the paw. "If you want to be an apprentice soon, we have to practice like this. Do you want to stay a kit forever?" Hawkit didn't respond. Instead, she ignored her littermate's half-hearted apologies and stumbled towards the medicine cat den. _Another bite on my leg,_ Hawkkit noted. If anyone else asked, she always told them it was a thorn in her bedding. It was an age old excuse that had worked for generations of cats her had injuries they didn't want to explain.

"What brings you here?" Rainpaw called out as he saw the young kit approaching his mentor's den. Hawkkit sighed and glanced up at her former friend. Rainpaw had been named a medicine cat apprentice two moons ago and since then he seemed to have forgotten all the fun they once had together and was completely focused on training. He also spoke very with a demeaning authority that made Hawkkit want to avoid him. The ginger she-cat sighed and decided that if she were going to talk to a stuck-up apprentice, it might as well be for a good reason. She rushed up to him and they rubbed their noses in a traditional greeting.

"I need energy if I want to keep fighting my sister," Hawkkit confessed, lifting her leg up and revealing the wound. "She's pretty rough. I wish my sister and I were best friends, just like other littermates are. I'm just not like her..." Rainpaw padded at the ground, considering something. "Go on," he prodded. "I'll make you a poultice." He reached for some poppy seeds and gestured the young cat to continue. Hawkkit paused for a second, as if considering if she were going to tell him anymore.

"It's like we're just too different to be any kind of friends. I'm a hunter, she's a fighter. I'm calmer, while she gets upset at the smallest things. She can't wait to go to battle while I'm terrified of the thought." Rainpaw appeared to be at a loss for words. He collected himself, pricking his ears in the air as if waiting for a loud noise. His body relaxed and he murmured,

"Like night, and like day." Then he casually rubbed the juice of a healing leaf into her fur.

"Are you all right?" Hawkkit creased her brow in concern. Rainpaw leaned forward with a renewed interest in the conversation.

"Hawkkit, there's something you should've learned about a long time ago. The dreams you have… they aren't normal. And they're only going to get worse as you get older. After you become an apprentice you'll never be able to escape from them, and Bramblestar should be holding your ceremony at the next moon high. Have you ever gone to Starclan in your dreams? Or to a barren forest, with cats a like Sparkkit?" Hawkkit's ears twitched with amusement.

"Rainpaw, I'm much too old for kit's tales. But it's been nice talking to you." Hawkkit stepped to the side, but Rainpaw thrust his front paw forward and blocked her escape.

"I don't see you walking around bleeding and in pain, except for now." He nodded towards Hawkkit's bleeding leg. Hawkkit sheepishly tried to cover her wounds with a patch of loose fur. "However, you made it sound like you and Sparkkit got into a lot of fights. You also make it sound as if she wins, am I wrong?" Hawkkit stepped backwards on to the freshly picked stem of yarrow leaf. She blinked her eyes rapidly and turned away.

"I don't really want to talk about my sister anymore." Despite their differences, Hawkkit wasn't going to discuss the faults of her own kin.

"Now's the perfect time. Now might be the only chance I get…" His eyes rolled off into the distance and fixed themselves on something far away.

"Well, if you're going to tell me something, go ahead and do it." Rainpaw cleared his throat.

They stood in a chilly silence.

"You don't want to tell me, do you? But now after all you've said I have to know, just so I can tell you you're wrong."

"You're mother… made a lot of mistakes. She's a value to the clan, with good looks and a lot of intelligence. Eventually she managed to make up for her many shortcomings, but as a medicine cat that communicates with StarClan I know the details of one of her biggest mishaps. It affected all the cats under Silverpelt, and the ones that live above it as well. You see, Ivypool formerly trained in the Place of No Stars, which is where cats go when they are not accepted into StarClan." Rainpaw glanced up at Hawkkit, wondering how she was taking all this. Hawkkit gave him a curt nod. The muscles in her neck were tightening and she forced herself to breath.

"She mated with a cat from the Dark Forest. Until that point, we didn't even know it could be done. The cat was named Hawkfrost and he was the son of the famous ThunderClan warrior, Tigerstar. Tigerstar is also one of the only leaders we have kept track of that doesn't reside in StarClan. The whole family, including Hawkfrost's mother Sasha, are a tribe of menacing villains that will stop at nothing to destroy ThunderClan. Hawkfrost seemed to genuinely care for your mother. It wasn't a trick, or a thoughtless seduction. But they were young, or at least your mother was, and they didn't think. Of course you can't have kits born to an evil Dark Forest clan member without having some sort of punishment. StarClan is taking revenge on her mistakes by traumatizing you and your sister. It hasn't even begun yet." Hawkkit's eyes blazed with furry.

"Are you saying I'm only half clan born?"

"I'm saying you're half dead."


	2. Chapter 2

"Let all cats old enough to catch their own prey gather beneath Highrock for a clan meeting!" Bramblestar yowled, his voice ringing true throughout the clearing. Hawkkit's heart pounded in anticipation as she bounded towards her leader. This was the day when she was to be proclaimed a clan apprentice. She blinked up towards the darkened sky and let her thoughts drift to the day she would be getting her own terrified kit to mentor.

"Come on!" Sparkkit nudged her, almost knocking her to the ground. "I can't wait to see what mentor we get. He better be good," she growled. Ivypool padded towards her kits.

"You two are a mess!" She fussed, frantically licking their fur. Fellow clan members slowly congregated under Highrock and quietly visited among themselves. "Hawkkit! Your tail is bleeding!" Hawkkit winced in pain as her mother tried to smooth tufts of fur to cover the fresh wound. Thankfully she seemed more concerned with Hawkkit's appearance then an explanation. Sparkkit had pinned her down on the ground and threw her into the brambles only earlier this morning.

The elders gathered within hearing range and Hawkkit could hear them gossiping about who the mentor was to be. From their faint whispers, Hawkkit suspected she was going to be trained by Lionblaze, and her sister showed enough promise to be the deputy's pupil.

"Hawkkit!" Bramblestar's voice boomed. Hawkkit's eyes nervously darted among the dozens of expecting cats, and Rainpaw gave her an encouraging nod. Hawkkit sighed deeply and scrambled onto the cliff. "From now until your warrior ceremony is held, you will be known as Hawkpaw." Hawkpaw could hardly hear his next words over the deafening roar of her new name. She looked down into the crowd to see her mother swell with pride as she eagerly cheered for her older kit. Sparkkit defiantly sulked next to her.

"You're new mentor will be Lionblaze." Lionblaze stepped out from the other cats and greeted Hawkpaw. "You are a strong fighter and a great hunter. I couldn't have asked for—for a better son." For some reason, Bramblestar chocked up as he said those words. "I expect you will pass your loyalty and diligence off to Hawkpaw." Bramblestar then called Sparkkit's name, but Hawkpaw looked up at Lionblaze and managed a small smile.

"You're going to be great," Lionblaze said. _Right now, _Hawkpaw thought, _Sparkkit's climbing up on the rock. I am an apprentice, and she is a kit. I am a 'paw and she is a baby who lives in the nursery with her mother. For just a moment in time I am more then she is. _

She heard cats screaming Sparkpaw's new name and she knew that moment was over.

"Sparkpaw! Sparkpaw!" Hawkpaw enthusiastically joined in, not wanting to be like her disapproving sister. Lionblaze regarded her strangely and she realized she had never responded to his greeting. She turned, and dipped her head in respect.

_Tonight, I'm going to be sleeping in the apprentice's den. And tonight, I'm going to have my first dream. But then I won't, and I'll prove Rainpaw and Jayfeather wrong about my sister. _

Rainpaw had since led her to believe the consequences of her mother's choice would begin after the ceremony. She chose to ignore his opinion, though she doubt filled her more with every passing moment.

_Hawkfrost,_ Hawkpaw realized. A paralyzing shock ran through her body. She stood their motionless, fear creeping into her solemn expression. _If this is true. . . I was named after him. _

"Tomorrow I'll begin your training," Lionblaze's voice broke into her heavy thoughts. She barely managed a grunt before she realized how rude it was she had hardly spoken to one of the senior warriors. _He must think of me as a very awkward cat. _For some reason, this didn't bother her very much. She gave him another quick nod and raced towards the apprentice den, desperate to go to sleep and discover her fate. Dodging cats attempting conversation and nodding towards those who gave her hearty congratulations, she finally made her way to the nests of the training cats.

There were some already settling in for the night, speaking to each other in quiet murmurs of conversation. None of them seemed particularly interested in Hawkpaw. She dove for the nearest empty nest and drifted off into sleep, afraid of what she might find.

_"Greetings," a spotted ginger she-cat warmly welcomed her. She had a stony expression, as if she could not think or feel anything, but a smile danced across her whiskers. "I see you've made it here. I am your sister, Sweetleaf." Hawkpaw's mouth dropped open in surprise. Of all the things she had prepared herself for, this had never crossed her mind. A bird's sharp cry faded into the distance and Hawkpaw breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing bad was going to happen to her, at least not yet. Her sister was here, and so were other animals. This sister must've been the mistake Rainpaw spoke of. _

_ Suddenly, Sweetleaf jumped into the air and pinned Hawkpaw to the ground. She opened her mouth, revealing sharp teeth and eyes that glistened with rage. She raked her claws across Hawkpaw's soft belly. Hawkpaw yowled in agony and aimlessly waved her paws in blind attempts to stop her attacker. _

_ "I am your sister," she spat. "Ivypool gave birth to me exactly a year before you. I spent six moons as a kit, just like you." Her claws dug deeper with every word she spoke. "And six moons as an apprentice, just like you will. But on the night of my warrior vigil, my brother killed me. Just like Sparkpaw will. It will be a quiet murder. No one will know of it until morning. When they do, Sparkpaw will be cast out of ThunderClan, just like Sedgefeather. She will become one of the greatest warriors in the forest, just like Sedgefeather!" With that, she pulled away and thrust herself backwards onto the ground. She opened her mouth again, this time speaking with an eerily calm disposition. "I will let you go now. You may roam wherever you please. Sparkpaw is here as well, but you might now see each other. You are free to return back to your clan, go to StarClan, or venture into the Dark Forest. But you musn't speak to any living cats if you see them. There are some like you, who are half-dead. You will live like this forever, with a paw in both worlds. _


	3. Chapter 3

_Hawkpaw's eyes darted nervously around the quiet forest. It was oddly soundless, without birds' shrieking or the soft paws of rabbits as they darted back and forth within the trees. There was nothing this place had to offer but a cold, stony ground and a stream splitting the forest in half. The waters were a mixture of water and blood. Hawkpaw, out of sheer curiosity, gingerly dipped her paw into the purple liquid concoction. She immediately jerked away and shook the dripping remnants into the dirt. Leftover blood was sticking to her fur in clumps._

_Hawkpaw wanted more than anything to shout; to draw attention to herself and see if there was someone perhaps a bit kinder then Sweetleaf._

"_Hawkpaw!" Hawkpaw jerked her head around to face a striped tom-cat with whiskers torn out of his cheeks. Only a few remained two short strands on each side of his face. He looked tired and serious, though also appeared to be very young. His eyes were his most striking feature. They were a color Hawkpaw could not quite describe, yet deeply vast and empty and almost entirely white._

_ "You have no idea how wonderful it is to see you." The cat edged his way towards Hawkpaw. She licked her dry lips and said, _

_ "Hawkfrost." She tried to keep her voice steady as she planted her paws into the ground. "You're my father, aren't you?" She tilted her head slightly sideways and lowered her voice. Hawkfrost did not look quite as intimidating as she might have believed. She was expecting an appearance resembling Tigerstar's, which was supposedly terrifying and sent chills down even the most respected warriors shaking pelt. _

_ "I seems I am." Hawkfrost's whiskers twitched in amusement. For this slight moment he looked as if he were enjoying himself, but he quickly turned his mouth back into a frown. "I've heard there are two of you. But if you are here, then you must be the one I've been looking for. The one who takes most after me." Hawkpaw shifted uncomfortably, not quite sure what to say. Surely he was speaking of her more violent sister._

_ "You really have the strength to succeed, you know. Tigerstar was always said to somehow be related to Firestar, who is the grandfather of your dear mother Ivypool. Small world, isn't it? You descend from two of the most powerful leaders of the most powerful clan, ThunderClan. With the help of Tigerstar, I can make you become another one of those great leaders. It's in your blood. You're littermate is cursed to be weak like your mother .Your mother always wanted to be strong- powerful, even, like her sister- and her thirst for importance led her here. She was always too soft-hearted to have anything come out of it." _

_ "Anything but me," Hawkpaw murmured under her breath._

_ "It makes sense you would be the strong one. You're named after me, which is perfect. Together, all the stars in the sky- all cats living and dead- will come under out power." Hawkfrost flashed a brilliant but disconcerting grin and his body slowly began fading away. Hawkpaw was inwardly desperate for more but she knew nothing would come out of screaming or throwing a fit. Instead, she simply sighed and closed her tired eyes, waiting for the world to return back to normal. _Where had Sparkpaw been? _She wondered. _Did Rainpaw make a mistake? Am I really the one with evil in my blood? _An even more powerful thought jerked her back to the ThunderClan world._

Am I just another Tigerstar?


End file.
